“Comin' Through”

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Via Pitchfork

Philadelphia's the War on Drugs have an affinity for classic rock sounds. Their 2008 debut full-length, Wagonwheel Blues, was an exploration of the more ragged, road-weary side of Bob Dylan's catalog, tempered with enough psych'd-out tape hiss and swirling atmospherics to garner kinda-but-not-really Animal Collective comparisons as well. On "Comin' Through", the first taste from the band's forthcoming EP, Future Weather, the War on Drugs ditch those more abstract preoccupations in favor of another touchstone from the past-- specifically, the smoky, easy shake of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams". The resemblance is noticeable from the opening seconds on, and it's a good look for the band, particularly since singer/guitarist Adam Granduciel gets to do his best Lindsey Buckingham impression and lay languid, winding licks that cut through the sonic fog.

Unlike the bitter kiss-off attitude of "Dreams", though, "Comin' Through" sounds like it comes from a cavernous, lonely place-- similar to on-and-off War on Drugs member Kurt Vile's increasingly desolate solo output. The fact that Granduciel's ditched his vocal affectations here adds an element of nakedness not present in the band's earlier work, and the lyrics reflect that honesty. When late in the tracks he sings "That's the sound of a million ships/ Just sailing away," his voice hits a cracked cry on that last word, and the emphasis is evocative. Lovers only love you when they're playing, but when they're gone, they're probably not coming back.